With gas prices skyrocketing and the economy still crippled from a long recession, people are looking for every way they can to save money. One option which is often overlooked in the Charleston area is public transportation. A little less than a year ago, the islands were in danger of losing their only bus route, the 401, and while this might not have been an issue of interest for many car driving residents, the need for a bus system is incredibly important for many members of the community who either don’t own a car or simply can’t afford gas as the prices climb between three and four dollars a gallon. Other residents who are unable to drive themselves either because of age and/or disability, rely entirely on the Charleston Area Regional Transportation Association’s (CARTA) Teleride service; and without the regular routes running in Mount Pleasant, the Teleride service would no longer be an option.

“There are people on the islands who are disabled that need this service,” said CARTA Transportation Planner, Peter Tecklenburg. “If the 401 service (the Mount Pleasant Loop) goes, then this would eliminate that service to the islands.”

Because of the incredible value of Teleride, and because of the need for reliable transportation throughout the Mount Pleasant region, Mount Pleasant Councilmember and CARTA board member Linda Page and Mount Pleasant resident William Hamilton began a grassroots effort to educate the Mount Pleasant population on the value of CARTA’s bus services. And when the decision on whether or not to remove the Mount Pleasant routes from their regular schedules came before the CARTA board, an impressively large number of residents stood up in protest. So many, in fact, that CARTA is now using Mount Pleasant as a test area.

“This is really a complete overhaul of the East Cooper service area,” said Tecklenburg. “We’re putting it all out there to make this work.”

“And if it doesn’t work, we could lose everything,” said Sullivan’s Island Councilmember and CARTA board member, Mike Perkis.

The new system for Mount Pleasant is designed to accommodate residents from as far north as Wando High School on Highway 17, down to Wingo Way at the base of the Cooper River Bridge. The two Mount Pleasant routes are Route 40 and Route 401. Route 40 is a Fixed Route which runs every hour from the Bus Shed at Meeting and Mary Streets downtown to Wando High School and back. In between, the 401 – otherwise known as the East Cooper Loop – zips in an on-the-hour circle from the base of the Cooper River Bridge up Coleman to East Cooper Hospital and then in a wide loop around the Mount Pleasant Towne Centre to Hungry Neck Boulevard and then Long Point Road before returning. While these two routes effectively cover several of the most visited areas in Mount Pleasant, the best part is that CARTA has recently added one more route: the 402 Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms Flex Route.

With a single call, a rider can go essentially anywhere on Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms, or off the islands to catch either the 40 or the 401 to most of Mount Pleasant. Or, as with the 40, to downtown Charleston. In most cases the rider can call up to 10 minutes ahead of time and the Flex Route bus will pick them up at any place they specify – from their front door to a beach access to the front of a restaurant.

“If you can make it to the curb, we’ll pick you up,” Tecklenburg smiled.

During peak hours, such as from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., it might be a little more difficult to get a quick ride on short notice, but another bonus of the 402 Flex Route is that it will be at certain places on the islands at certain times no matter what. So whether you book your ride ten minutes before you want to leave and tell the driver when to pick you up later that day, or if you reserve the whole route up to two weeks in advance, the 402 Flex Route is incredibly accommodating.

“We basically want to go with the flow,” said Tecklenburg. “This is a demand/response service and we want to be as flexible as possible.”

While both the bus routes and Flex Route currently run throughout the day, the possibility of night service will be discussed if the day program shows a decent amount of ridership.

“It really is an efficient way to come to the beach,” said Perkis, pointing out that he’s noticed people starting to park in Mount Pleasant and taking cabs to Sullivan’s Island. Now, with the 402 Flex Route, visitors can come to Sullivan’s Island or the Isle of Palms and not even have to worry about parking. Even visitors downtown can go to the beach by picking up the 40 to the Mount Pleasant Towne Centre and grabbing a Flex Route from there, calling to schedule the ride there and back on their way out.

And don’t forget about bikes! All CARTA buses are equipped with bike racks, so if one wants to bike to downtown or vice versa – or even just wants to bike the bridge – they can go on a healthy ride and just take the bus back at the end. Even bridge walkers have the option of picking up a 402 on demand from the islands and catching the 401 from the Mount Pleasant Towne Centre to the base of the bridge. The regular, every hour arrival of the 401 would allow for a descent one hour walk before catching the 401 back to the Towne Centre.

The 402: Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms Flex Route runs from 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The 401: East Cooper Route runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and the 40 (Downtown to Wando High School) runs from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. with reduced hours on Sunday. A one way pass is $1.75 with a bus transfer fee of $.75, and an Flex Route ride (with no bus transfer) is a flat $3 fee. Riders can also purchase multiple passes which range from a 10 ride pass to a 40 ride pass ($.75 transfer fee is extra), to a 31 day pass ($.75 transfer fee is extra) or a monthly Express Pass (no extra transfer charge).

So whether you want to hit downtown for the day without worrying about parking, take a walk on the bridge, visit the Old Village, go shopping in the Towne Centre or Sweetgrass Shopping Center, or just go from one island to the next, the 402 is an excellent way to get from point A to point B with little hassle and ultra-flexible service. And for beach visitors, it’s an excellent way to visit the beach without worrying about the hassle of parking.

For more information, pass purchasing, and printable route schedules, visitwww.rideCARTA.com. To schedule a ride on the 402: Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms Flex Route, call 747-0922.